Results of 2017 Ice Fishing Festival

Event Chair Robin Stice of Eden Valley Guest Ranch

Jan 16, 2017

The 13th Annual 2017 NW Ice Fishing Festival held on January 14, 2017 was well attended with the day dawning at about 0ºF and warming up to the high teens. We had 106 registered to compete and of those ten were youth 14 and under. Eighteen fish were caught in Sidley and Molson Lakes with a total of 36.3 pounds. When the RV to be used as the lake side office burned the night before the tournament, Judge Dan Lepley did not let his misfortune impact the event. He arranged to borrow one from Oroville Chamber President Clyde Andrews of the Camaray Motel. They managed to have the lake side office ready to go a few minutes after 8:00 am. The first fish came in seconds later.

The Oroville Sportsman Club maintains an aerator on the 20 acre Molson Lake every winter. More air will be available for other fish after Pete Valentine from Oroville, WA pulled out a five pound and 3 ounce rainbow to go with a brook trout of 9.9 ounces to win the 2017 Grand Prize at the NW Ice Fishing Festival. Pete's limit of 5-pounds 13-ounces won Grand Prize, which had a $1000 value with a $500 gift certificate from Country Store in Oroville and $500 from an anonymous donor. Pete Valentine actually had the very largest fish and the very smallest fish.

All other places in the tournament were for the weight of a single fish. Only one major place was allowed for each contestant. These were all caught on the 107 acre Sidley Lake where Pat Stice of Eden Valley Guest Ranch has been maintaining the aerator. The other Gold level sponsor was Oroville/Midway Building Supply. Silver Sponsors were Akins Harvest Foods in Oroville and OK Chevrolet in Tonasket. These and other sponsors provided some great prizes. The places with their awards were as follows:

The festival had many other activities in the warm Grange Hall including:

Pancake & Ham breakfast by the Molson Grange

Arts & Crafts Show all day coordinated by Penny Cole with about 15 booths. The Borderlands Historical Society and Oroville Visitor Center booth stayed busy all day handing out materials. One booth was the Highland Stitchers of Molson, that makes quilts, which are donated to a variety of local charities. To date the group has donated over 250 quilts in the last 5 years. In Sept they donated 40 quilts to the Tonasket Nursing Home and 25 quilts to Oroville emergency services and children centers. Other charities include Tonasket, Nine Mile and Pateros fire victims, veterans, Care Net, Ruth's House of Hope, Morning Sun Ministries, Vanessa Behan Childrens Center, as examples. The group currently consists of 6 women and they work hard during the year to create these quilts. The proceeds from their raffle quilts and quilt show allows them to purchase the batting they need to make the quilts. The raffle at the festival was won by Robin Stice while she was out deliberating with the fishing judge. Booths had a wide variety of items including face and body products, hand made items such as hats, scarves, pillow cases and dish towels, there were pictures, house hold items, jewelry, decorations, cinnamon rolls, cookies, art work, pressed flowers, books of all kinds and more.

Children's Coloring Contest sponsored by Eden Valley Guest Ranch

Lunch and Refreshments by Sitzmark Ski Area volunteers

Chamber Prize Raffle

Bingo put on by Molson Grange

Thank you to Judge Dan Lepley and Crew and Registrars: Vicki Hart, Peggy Shaw and Ryan Saam. Thank you to Sponsor Coordinator and Face Book page administrator Karen Frisbie. This large event is put on by all volunteers from many organizations. It is sponsored by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce and hosted by the Molson Grange.